Steelers/NFL category, Page 308
First Call: Injury preventing Antonio Brown from finalizing Tampa contract; trio of dominance from ex-Pirates pitchers
Thursday’s “First Call” features a snag in Antonio Brown’s contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We celebrate a happy anniversary with Evgeni Malkin. You can already bet on who may be next year’s Trevor Lawrence in the NFL Draft. And a trio of former Pirates dusted their competition. A.B.’s knee...
U mad, bro?: Fans take swings at JuJu Smith-Schuster, Devin Bush, Barry Trotz, Penguins goalies and … this column
Steelers. Penguins. Players. Coaches. Sportswriters. None of us are spared from angry readers in the latest blood-thirsty edition of “U mad, bro?” Wait. Did someone even take a shot at … David Byrne? Wow! We are “burning down the house” this week. Kevin starts by taking a swat at Islanders...
Troy Polamalu chooses former Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau to present him at Hall of Fame
Troy Polamalu will be presented to the Pro Football Hall of Fame by the man who coached him for virtually his entire Pittsburgh Steelers career. Dick LeBeau, the long-time Steelers defensive coordinator, will present Polamalu when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 7 at Tom Benson...
First Call: Steelers’ Cameron Heyward says Ben Roethlisberger can still get it done; Tom Brady getting a reality show?
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” Steelers captain Cameron Heyward is throwing his support behind quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Rick Tocchet may go to work for a former teammate. A rival quarterback will be back against the Steelers early in the 2021 season. We’ve got an update on former Pirate Jameson Taillon. And...
Steelers sign 2 more draft picks; 3 remain unsigned
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced they signed two more draft picks Tuesday in offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. and linebacker Buddy Johnson. They were teammates at Texas A&M. The Steelers selected Moore Jr. (6-6, 311) in the fourth round (128th overall). He started 37 games at Texas A&M, including 10 last...
First Call: Eagles nab free agent rusher Steelers may have wanted; big salary projections for T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick
Tuesday’s “First Call” tells us about a potential Steelers free-agent signee that went down the turnpike instead. Also, some eye-popping projections for what T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick may command on their next contracts. Former Pirate Gerrit Cole has a mixed night. And former Penguin Jordan Staal comes up clutch...
Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth can help quickly on offense; how other Steelers will see snap counts impacted
Sure, it’s great that the Steelers got Ben Roethlisberger some new toys by spending their first two draft choices on Alabama running back Najee Harris and Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth. Unfortunately for Big Ben and new offensive coordinator Matt Canada, NFL rules still dictate that there can only...
First Call: Free agent idea for Steelers; John Harbaugh praises Al Villanueva; Marc-Andre Fleury, McCutchen flash in defeat
Monday’s “First Call” has an idea for the Pittsburgh Steelers to investigate when it comes to bolstering its offensive line. The Ravens are excited about adding a former Steeler. Marc-Andre Fleury and Andrew McCutchen flash in defeat. OK with Okung? Free-agent tackle Russell Okung is still without an NFL team....
Steelers sign 4 rookie draft picks to contracts
Four down, five to go. The Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday signed the first four members of their nine-player draft class, coming to contracts with defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk, outside linebacker Quincy Roche, defensive back Tre Norwood and punter Pressley Harvin III. Those players were the final four taken by the...
Najee Harris boosts his profile during first taste of NFL life at Steelers rookie minicampVideo
The black shorts and white uniform jersey should have been the giveaway to Najee Harris that he’s not in college anymore. Harris spent the past two days of rookie minicamp wearing the practice threads of his new employer, the Pittsburgh Steelers, a sharp departure from the crimson and white he...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Where Aaron Rodgers plays could impact Steelers’ playoff fate
The NFL’s big schedule “reveal” this past Wednesday gave clichéd sports media a chance to break down the Steelers’ slate game-by-game in detailed fashion. That approach ignores that A) We knew who the Steelers were playing (and where) months ago, and B) The season is still three months away. But...
Punter Pressley Harvin III stands out from the crowd at Steelers rookie minicamp
No matter what is written on paper, the first thing that stands out about Pressley Harvin III is his size. Harvin was listed as being 5-foot-11 and weighing 263 pounds on his NFL.com profile. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ bio adds another inch but deducts eight pounds from his frame. Either way,...
NFL families seek to end ‘race-norming’ in $1B settlement
Thousands of retired Black professional football players, their families and supporters are demanding an end to the controversial use of “race-norming” to determine which players are eligible for payouts in the NFL’s $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims, a system experts say is discriminatory. Ken Jenkins, 60, and his...
Kendrick Green eager to take Maurkice Pouncey’s ‘53’ as he strives to replace him for SteelersVideo
Kendrick Green knows the task is tough. The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie seems to understand the comparisons inevitably will come. He isn’t backing down from them. The Steelers’ third-round pick, Green requested and was granted the same number he wore as an all-Big Ten interior offensive lineman at Illinois: No. 53....
Don’t call him ‘Baby Gronk’ – Steelers rookie TE Pat Freiermuth ‘hates it’Video
Would “Baby Heath” work for Pat Freiermuth? Because the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie tight end isn’t a fan of being called “Baby Gronk.” “I hate it,” said Pat Freiermuth of the “Baby Gronk” moniker so many called him while he was an All-Big Ten performer at Penn State. “I think it’s...
Mark Madden: Despite what Cameron Heyward says, NFL rookies need to attend minicamp
The Steelers’ Cameron Heyward wants those invited to not attend the team’s minicamp for rookies this weekend. He posted this on Instagram: “For the ROOKIES and FREE AGENTS find your vets tell them to get you up to speed. Trust me y’all ain’t missing anything you will still get your...
First Call: Steelers assign rookie jersey numbers; more spice for Tom Brady’s return game in New England
Friday’s “First Call” tells you what number to order for your favorite Steelers rookie jersey. JuJu Smith-Schuster reveals his list of circled games for 2021. Jameson Taillon gets touched up by an ex-Pirates teammate. And even more spice has been added to Tom Brady’s return to Foxborough. Got the digits?...
First Call: Steelers already underdogs in opener; ex-Penguin in mix for Rangers coaching job?
Thursday’s “First Call” shows little faith in the Pittsburgh Steelers to start 2021 on the right foot. A former Pitt Panther basketball player is getting his coaching start in the Bronx. Meanwhile, a former Penguin is hoping to continue his coaching career in Manhattan. And the Pirates need to get...
JuJu Smith-Schuster says he’ll be outside more often in Steelers offense this season
On Wednesday, we mentioned how JuJu Smith-Schuster voiced his displeasure with a 17-game season during a recent Adam Schefter ESPN podcast. Here’s another nugget from that conversation. Smith-Schuster said he is going to play outside more often in 2021. Schefter asked Smith-Schuster what NFL observers can expect out of him...
U mad, bro?: Some Steelers fans still prickly about draft, catering to Ben Roethlisberger; hockey fans hated Caps-Rangers fiasco
Touchy members of Steelers nation. Disgusted hockey fans. And irate Iron Maiden enthusiasts. Yup. It’s quite a collection in this week’s “U mad, bro?” A variety of venom. A prickly potpourri. A bundle of bile! So let’s get to it. “LR” took me to task for my column on T.J....
Steelers scheduled to play 5 prime time games during inaugural 17-game regular season
For the inaugural 17-game NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will open and close their schedule on the road. They will play five games in prime time, including three at Heinz Field. And they will close the year with four games against teams that went a combined 47-17 last season. For...
Steelers to open season on road again, play at Buffalo Bills
The last three times the Pittsburgh Steelers have played the Buffalo Bills, the game has been contested in December. Not this season. When the 2021 NFL season kicks off, the Steelers will play the Bills at the newly named Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. The...
First Call: Ravens star heard Ben Roethlisberger give plays to receivers; JuJu Smith-Schuster against 17-game schedule
Wednesday’s “First Call” informs us that the Pittsburgh Steelers were giving away their plays at the line of scrimmage last year. And, no. Before you ask, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots video crew were not involved. Also, James Conner is taking advantage of a new league rule in...
2021 NFL schedule release: What to know
Some of the biggest news of the NFL offseason is coming Wednesday: the 2021 NFL regular-season schedule. Next season’s schedule will be released at 8 p.m. and broadcast on NFL Network, NFL.com and the NFL app. The league is touting the upcoming campaign as the “biggest season ever” with the...
Steelers LB Devin Bush wonders why Tim Tebow got a job while Colin Kaepernick sits
Devin Bush is among the NFL players questioning the Jacksonville Jaguars’ decision to sign Tim Tebow following an eight-year absence from football. Tebow, who will turn 34 in August, is expected to convert from quarterback to tight end. The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker appeared to take exception to the signing in...
